By Fr. Timothy Ring, EP
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 9, 13-18 | Psalm 90 | Letter to Philemon 1, 9-10.12-17 | Luke 14, 25-33
The good and the bad alike carry their crosses. The good bear the cross of fidelity, living a life of virtue and fulfilling their duty toward God and neighbour. The bad carry the burden of sin and vice, which robs them of peace.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that to be his disciple, we must take up our cross and follow him. Since the fall of Adam, suffering has been part of our human condition. Yet trials are not meaningless. Like a soldier who remembers the hardships of battle with honour rather than the moments of ease, our fidelity to God is proven in struggle.
The greatest gifts are obtained through effort. What comes without sacrifice is often taken for granted, while what is gained with difficulty becomes precious. Even the angels, at the moment of their creation, underwent a test. Those who remained faithful entered into eternal reward.
Sacred history is filled with examples. Abel was pleasing to God yet persecuted by Cain. Abraham endured the trial of offering his beloved son. Job lost everything, enduring suffering and abandonment. Moses faced Pharaoh, David was opposed by his son Absalom, and Elijah was hunted by Queen Jezebel. Tobias endured blindness, and John the Baptist gave his life under Herod. The apostles themselves were men of the cross.
The cross, though heavy, is a source of hidden joy. It purifies, strengthens, and saves. It helps the good advance in virtue and brings pardon to sinners. Saint Claude de la Colombière, seeing a Christian lament his trials, would say: “Here is a man who is grieved at his own happiness. He is asking God to be delivered from something he ought to be thanking Him for. I am quite sure that nothing more advantageous could happen to him than what causes him so much grief.”
As we hear in the Book of Wisdom, human plans are timid and our understanding weak. It is only when God sends his Spirit that our paths are made straight. Saint Paul, writing to Philemon, reminds us that in Christ we are no longer bound by human divisions but united as brothers. The Psalmist teaches us to number our days wisely, so that our hearts may be filled with God’s wisdom.
Today, let us ask Mary for the grace to understand the mystery of the cross. With her help, our burdens become lighter, and every suffering draws us closer to her Son and to the eternal joy that awaits us.
